Half to joseph i-i



(No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet 1-. .J. CRAWFORD. SERVIGE BOX FOR WATERGLOSETS.

Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

Fholo-Lilhagnplwr. Wuhinglon. D. C.

No Model.) 4 s Sheets-Sheet 2'. J. CRAWFORD.-

SERVICE BOX FOR'WATER GLOSETS. No. 414,942. Patented Nov. '12, 1889..

' No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.:

J. CRAWFORD.

SERVICE BOX' FOR WATER GLOSETS N0. 414,,942. Pate ntedNov. 12, 1889.

N, PETERS. Phom'LithognpMr. Wahington. DIG

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES CRAIVFORD, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOJOSEPH H. YOUNG, OF SAME PLACE.

SERVICE-BOX FOR WATER-CLOSETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,942, dated November12, 1889.

Application filed December 24, 1888. Serial No. 2%,508. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES CRAWFORD, of Cambridge, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States,have invented a new and useful Improvem entin Service-Boxes forWater-Closets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of to this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to the application to the actuating-lever of thevalve of a servicebox of a float catch or latch adapted to operate toengage the lever automatically upon the downward movement of one end asit is actuated to operate or lift the valve, and to hold the lever insuch positionviz., in a position which opens or holds open the valve andafter the draft upon the lever has been released and until the water inthe tank has fallen sufficiently to cause the latch to become disengagedfrom the lever by the change in the relation of the latch to the levercaused by the falling of the float which operates it.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in vertical section representing thefloat-latch as disengaged from the catch on the actuatinglever and thevalve as closed. Fig. 2 represents the position of the parts when thefloat- 0 latch has engaged the catch on the actuatinglever and thevalveis opened. Fig. 3 is a detail View illustrating a form of floathereinafter specified. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, in perspective,illustrating the float-latch, actuating-lever, and catch. Figs. 5, 6,and 7 are detail views of the roll, its stud, and the floatlatch,respectively; and Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are detail sectional views of theball-float.

A represents the service-box.

B is the outlet or escape pipe. V

O indicates the position of the valve or cock at the end of thesupply-pipe.

D represents the float-lever for operating the same.

E is the valve controlling the opening to the exhaust or outlet pipe B.It may be of any desired form or construction, and the fioat representedin the drawings is known as a ball-float.

The valve E is connected with the operating-lever F by a rod b, the rodpassing through a hole o in a lug b extending from the side of the leverand having an eye or head If. This causes the valve-rod a limited extentof independent or lost motion in relation to the end of theactuating-lever F. The actuating-lever is pivoted at f to abracket f,attached to the box, and its outer end has attached to it the draftorpull chain or cord f The lever also has upon its side, at a pointbetween the fulcrum and the outer end, a catch f. This preferably ismade in the form of a roll f (see Fig. 1,) and is attached to the leverby a shouldered stud f, the stud having a head f which enters the cavityf of the roll, and the roll having a sleeve j, which forms the bearingon the barrel of the stud, and extends a trifle beyond the'inneredge fof the roll to bear against the side of the lever.

G is the float-latch. It comprises a rod or lever g, having at its lowerend the float g, and at its upper end the curved section which forms theengaging part of the latch that is, the part which engages the catch onthe lever.

As the catch is represented in the form of a roll, the latch is curvedto receive and close upon the roll. The float-latch preferably ispivoted at g to the bracket f the bracket having formed in it a recess 9formed in its side, of a size to receive the hubg of the floatlatch.This brings the latch in line with the catch. I prefer that a section 9of the letter be made integral with the hub g but separate from the rodg, and I have formed upon the hub the barrel or extension g to receiveand hold the end .of the rod g.

As it will be desirable in some instances to change the angle of the rodg in relation to the latch 9 ,1 have represented in Fig 7 a slightmodification of the hub g and the latch g the hub being represented aslarger than that represented in Fig. 4, and having a number of radialholes 9 into either one of which the end of the rod g may be fastened.These radial holes thus provide for the change in the angle of the leverg and latch above referred to. The floats g g may be made of metal inthe usual way; or they too may be made of vulcanized rubber, and whenmade of vulcanized rubber I prefer that there extend diametricallythrough the float acorc h, having a hole h, to receive the end of thefloat-lever. This provides for uniting the lever to the float withoutcausing the rod to enter the cavity of the float, and thereby provides awater-tight construction, as well as an easy method of securing thefloat to the end of the lever. The floatin such case would comprise theshell 7L2, the perforated core above spoken of, and the cavity h.

The detail view, Fig. 3, shows the core h formed integral orhomogeneouswith the ballfloat, so that there is no joint between said core and theshell of the float.

Fig; 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the float-lever omitted,and Figs. 8 and 10 are sections at right angles to the sections Figs. 3and fl and transverse of the core 71 Fig. 8 showing the core and floatas being made in two halves united together, with the halves of the coreintegral with the halves of the shell, and Fig. 10 showing the core andfloat integral and jointless throughout.

I11 use, the tank being full of water, the actuating-lever and thefloat-valve have the relation to each other represented in Fig. 1- thatis, the float is submerged in the water, but at one side, upon aperpendicular line of the fulcrum g and the catch f is disengaged fromthe latch 9 but on account of the tendency of the float to rise to thelevel of the water the latch is automatically operated to close upon thecatch when the catch is moved into a position to permit such operation.

hen in the position represented in said figure, the latch is held fromengaging the catch by the contact of its end g with the side of thecatch-roll, the chain or cord f being pulled or drawn. Thelcver F isthen caused to take the position represented in Fig. 2-that is, its endf is drawn downward and its inner end moved upward. This upward movementof the inner end lifts the valve E from its valve-seat, the downwardmovement of the lever brings the catch f" into the lower positionopposite the mouth of the latch, and the latch is immediately caused toshut upon it automatically by the effort of the submerged float to reachthe surface of the water. The draft upon the pull cord or chain, beingreleased, docs not effect the closing of the valve, as the float-latchholds the actuating-lever into the position into which it is drawn bythe cord or chain, and consequently holds the valve E open until thewater in the tank has escaped to such an extent thatthe float is nolonger submerged or even buoyed or supported by the water, and thiscauses the float then to release the latch from the catch, as the float,being no longer supported, falls or drops to a position which removesthe latch from engagement with the catch, or to the position representedin Fig. 1. The inner end of the actuating-leverbeing heavier than theouter end, this release immediately causes the lever to resume itsoriginal position, or that represented in Fig. 1, and the valve E to beclosed, shutting off the escape of water from the box. The lowering ofthe level of the water in the box has also caused the floatlever D toopen the valve or cock controlling the water-supply, and thisinletremains open so long as the box is discharging water, or, in otherwords, so long as the float-latch is in engagement with the catch on theactuating lever. \Vhen the latch is disengaged from the catch and theactuating-lever resumes its normal position, the float-lever 1) acts togradually close the inlet valve or cock, not, however, finally elosingthe same until the water has reached a level which submerges the ball orfloat g and causes it to again act to hold the latch in a position toautomatically engage the catch upon its downwardmovement.

I do not confine myself to the particular form of valve E herein shownand described, as one of the principal advantages of my invention isthat it enables the common actuating-lever of a servicedoox to be usedto operate any of the common forms of valve controlling thedischarge-openings ordinarily employed in service-boxes. Neither do Iconfine myself to the especial form and arrangement of the catch andfloat-latch described, as I consider that my invention includes anyconstruction or organization which causes a latch to automaticallyengage a catch on the actuating-lever when said latch is automaticallygoverned as to its engagement and disengagement with the catch by thevariation in the level of the water of the service-box.

It will be seen that the time of engagement of the latch with the catchdepends upon the length of the rod g, or, in other words, to the extentto which the float g is submerged in the water of the tank.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to securebyLetters Patent of the United States- 1. In a service'box forwater-closets, the combination, with the valve E and the lever F,connected with the said valve and having the catch f, of thefloat-latcl1 consisting of the curved arm 9 arranged to be normally incontact with the side of said catch, and an arm g, inclined relative tosaid curved arm and carrying the float g, whereby, when the outer end ofthe lever F is depressed to open said valve E, said float will causesaid curved arm to ride over, and thus engage said catch and hold thesaid valve E open until the water in the box falls to a certain level.

2. The combination of aservice-box, a valve E, regulating or controllingthe escape-pas sage therefrom, the actuating-lever F, connected at itsinner end with said valve, and having the catch f, with the float-latchG, comprising the rod g, the float g, and curved latch propergsubstantially as described.

The combination, with a service-box, of

r the valve E, the lever F, connected with said valve and having thecatch f, consisting of a headed stud provided with a roller, and thefloat-latch consisting of the curved arm flarranged to have its endnormally in contact with the side of said roller, and the arm g, in-

clined relative to said curved arm and provided with the float g. g

4. The combination, with a service-box, of the lever F, having the catchthe bracket f, to which said lever is pivoted, the bracket f, having therecess 9 and the float-latch pivoted in said recess and consisting ofthe curved arm 9 arranged to be normally in contact with the side ofsaid catch, and the inclined arm g, provided with the float g.

5. The combination of the valve E, the actuating-lever .F, the catchcarried thereby,the float-latch G, having a hub g provided with two ormore holes g to receive the end of the rod g, whereby its angle inrelation to the latch may be varied, substantially as described.

(3. A ball-float consisting of a rubber, vulcanito, 0r guttaperchashell, and a hollow core integral or 'jointless with said shell andhaving an opening for the reception of the float-rod, and being thusadapted to be attached to the float-rod in a Water-tight manner withoutpacking for joints, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the rod g, of the float c, of india-rubber,vnlcanite, or guttapercha, and consisting of the shell h and the core h,having an opening for the passage of said rod, said core being integralor jointless with the said shell, and beingthus adapted to beattached-to the said rod in a watertight manner Without packing forjoints, substantially as set forth.

JAMES CRAXVFORD.

In presence of F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN.

